If you’re reading this, chances are you’re desperately scouring the web for any droplet of news that can be harvested about the next breed of MacBooks. We’ve missed the previous estimate of an April launch, so what’s the hold-up? If Apple’s latest Mac OS X update is anything to go by, a glorious new Retina Display.

The consensus on the new MacBooks is that the Air range is going to stay largely untouched (save for new processors), while the new MacBook Pro range is going to lose some girth by shedding the optical disc drive.

But that’s not all. Apple has released a very slight update to Mac OS X, taking it to version 10.7.4. In it was one hidden, if huge giveaway: the icon for Apple’s TextEdit app has grown in resolution from 512 x 512 pixels to 1024 x 1024.

When you pair that with the fact that icons for the App Store and Launchpad in the OS X Mountain Lion preview had also made the jump to the larger 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution, the evidence is pretty compelling that MacBooks with Retina Displays are on their way.

Intel has already let slip that its Ivy Bridge processors can power Retina Displays with resolutions up to 2560 x 1600 pixels, which is about four times that of the current generation 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro.

The acid test for a Retina Display is that the pixel count is so dense, and that they’re close together, that you can’t actually see them. If that’s the case with the new MacBook Pro range, we’ll be in for something very special. Holding out for the new Macs? Let us know what you want to see in the comments section below.